Between Tradition and Modernity: Analyzing the Impact of Globalization and Cultural Hybridization on Wedding Ceremonies in District Dir Upper

Abstract

At global level, marriage is an important part of society’s life and culture and is celebrated uniquely in every region, ethnicity, and nations. Nowadays, due to multiple global reasons, weddings are not celebrated in their pure cultural style and usually loses its originality due to the influence of the dominant culture or long-term interaction with another culture under the process of globalization. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of western culture on Pakistani conventional wedding and its related ceremonies. There have been gradual changes in the marriage ceremonies at all regions of the country resulting in unique hybrid model. The study was framed under the umbrella of cultural hybridisation theory to develop a broader framework for developing study tools and obtaining relevant information. The study was quantitative in nature and closed-ended questionnaire was developed and used as a tool for data collection. Questionnaire are disseminated among the conveniently selected sample of 120 respondents from three different tehsils including Dir, Wari and Barawal, while all respondents were educated. The collected data was analyzed quantitatively and presented under different tables. The findings illustrate that during the previous decade, significant changes have been witnessed in the weeding ceremonies of Pakistan, mostly resulting from globalization and hybridization. Due to hybridization, the conventional local marriage practices and rituals have been replaced, accepted and promoted. The previous wedding ceremonies have lost its purity and originality and thus cultural hybridisation theory was found relevant to the study.